Sleeved garment for women

ABSTRACT

A sleeved garment for women, adapted to be worn over a brassiere and to be partially covered by an outer garment. The sleeved garment includes a first sleeve portion integrally formed with a first torso portion and a second sleeve portion integrally formed with a second torso portion opposing the first torso portion, each of the torso portions having a front portion and a rear portion, each of the front portions having an upper edge defining a plunging neckline from the wearer&#39;s shoulder to substantially below and between the wearer&#39;s breasts, and a lower edge disposed horizontally below the wearer&#39;s breasts, and each of the back portions having an upper edge extending from the wearer&#39;s shoulder to a lower point on the wearer&#39;s back and a lower edge disposed horizontally and at the same level as the lower edge of the front portions.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/406,756, filed Oct. 26, 2010 and entitled SLEEVED GARMENT FOR WOMEN, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Women who wear sleeveless garments may desire to conceal their arms, or a portion of their arms, while wearing the sleeveless garment. This may be due to stylistic or aesthetic considerations, due to a desire to conceal physical features that the women do not want to reveal, or due to other reasons.

Solutions for concealing one's arms while wearing a sleeveless garment, typically include merely wearing a separate, sleeved shirt or blouse under the sleeveless garment. However, in such cases, the neckline of the sleeved shirt or blouse may be exposed above the neckline of the sleeveless garment, thereby diminishing the effect of a low-cut sleeveless garment. Furthermore, the presence of the sleeved garment results in an additional layer of clothing as well as unnecessary bulk, which can detract from the appearance of the sleeveless garment and can also cause discomfort for the wearer. Moreover, most known sleeved garments include set-in sleeves, which result in a visible seam that couples the sleeve and the body of the garment. The presence of the visible seam is unwanted, as it further detracts from the desired appearance of the wearer's outfit. Other types of sleeves, such as dolman sleeves, are too bulky to be worn under sleeveless garments.

SUMMARY

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a sleeved garment for women is disclosed. The sleeved garment is adapted to be worn over a brassiere and to be partially covered by an outer garment. The sleeved garment includes a first sleeve portion integrally formed with a first torso portion and a second sleeve portion integrally formed with a second torso portion opposing the first torso portion, each of the torso portions having a front portion and a rear portion, each of the front portions having an upper edge defining a plunging neckline from the wearer's shoulder to substantially below and between the wearer's breasts, and a lower edge disposed horizontally below the wearer's breasts, and each of the back portions having an upper edge extending from the wearer's shoulder to a lower point on the wearer's back and a lower edge disposed horizontally and at the same level as the lower edge of the front portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 a is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a sleeved garment.

FIG. 1 b is a rear view of an exemplary embodiment of a sleeved garment.

FIG. 1 c is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a sleeved garment as worn by a wearer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description discussion of several terms used herein follows.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiment are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 1 a-1 c, a sleeved garment 100 for women is disclosed. Sleeved garment 100 may be a one-piece garment or may include several pieces and may be provided in a variety of known apparel sizes. The sleeved garment may be adapted to be worn by a wearer under a sleeveless outer garment, or any other desired outer garment. The sleeved garment may further be adapted to be worn by a wearer under a sleeveless garment such that the sleeve portions of the garment may be visible to an observer of the wearer, while portions of the garment disposed between the sleeve portions may be covered by an outer garment. The sleeved garment may further be adapted to cover a portion of the wearer's arms while not being visible above the neckline of the outer garment.

Sleeved garment 100 may be constructed from any desired material, for example a lightweight and thin material. The material from which the sleeved garment may be constructed may further be a material having elastomeric qualities, for example a two-way or four-way stretch fabric. In one embodiment, the sleeved garment may be constructed from an elastic material having a sheer matte finish, such as, for example, Spandex four-way stretch fabric, or any other known material having similar properties. Other materials from which the sleeved garment may be constructed can include, but are not limited to, silk, spandex, lycra, cotton, polyester, nylon, acrylic, olefin fibers, polylactide fibers, or any other material or combination of materials that enable the sleeved garment to function as described herein.

The sleeved garment may include a first sleeve portion 102 and a second sleeve portion 104. The sleeve portions may have any desired length; for example, the sleeve portions may extend from the shoulder to the wrist, from the shoulder to the forearm, from the shoulder to the elbow, or to any other desired point on the arm. The sleeve portions may further cover the shoulders and the underarms of the wearer. The sleeve portions 102, 104 may be formed from an integral piece of material that may be coupled to itself at a single seam 106, as shown in FIG. 1 c, so as to form a tubular shape through which the wearer's arms may be inserted. The sleeve portions may fit snugly around the wearer's arm and may do so without compressing or squeezing any portion of the wearer's arm.

Embodiments of the sleeved garment may further cover a portion of the wearer's upper back as well as portions of the wearer's upper body. To that end, first sleeve portion 102 may be integrally formed with a first torso portion 108, and second sleeve 104 portion may be integrally formed with a second torso portion 110. Each of the first and second torso portions 108, 110 may have a front portion 112 and a rear portion 114 that may be coupled to each other at seam 106 so as to form a garment that surrounds the wearer's upper body. The front portions may be adapted to be worn comfortably and snugly over the wearer's brassiere.

The first and second torso portions may further include a lower edge and an upper edge. The first and second torso portions may be coupled to each other at seam 116, which may be disposed substantially at the centerline of the sleeved garment and extend vertically between the lower edge and the upper edge, as shown in FIG. 1 b.

The edges 118 of the sleeved portions, as well as the upper and lower edges of the torso portions may be finished in any desired edge finishing manner. The edges may further be shaped or otherwise configured in any desired manner so as to achieve a desired aesthetic appearance, for example, the edges may include frills, lace, sewn ornamentation, and so forth.

When the sleeved garment is worn, the lower edge 120 of the torso portions may be substantially horizontal and may be disposed proximate to and below the wearer's breasts, such that lower edge 120 does not extend substantially below the wearer's brassiere. An elastic band 122 may be provided at the lower edge such that the elastic band encircles the torso of the wearer. The elastic band may include a fastener 124, which may be disposed at the midpoint of lower edge 120 of the sleeved garment when seen from the front, as shown in FIG. 1 a. The fastener may be, for example, at least one button, hook-and-loop fastener, hook and eye fastener, clasp, snap buclde, or any other known fastener that enables the sleeved garment to function as described herein. The fastener can allow the wearer to decouple the elastic band so as to allow the wearer to more easily don the sleeved garment. The fastener may also be adapted to allow the user to adjust the tension or the diameter of the elastic strap so as to provide a snug and comfortable fit.

The upper edge 126 of the front portion of each torso portion can extend from an upper point substantially proximate the wearer's shoulder to a lower point disposed proximate fastener 124, thereby defining a plunging neckline while covering the breasts of the wearer. The neckline may be shaped such that the torso portions of the sleeved garment are not visible underneath the wearer's outer garment. Upper edge 126 of each torso portion may further extend such that it meets the lower edge 120 of the respective torso portion, thereby separating the first torso portion 108 and second torso portion 110. This allows the wearer to open sleeved garment 100 to increase the ease of putting on or removing the sleeved garment.

The upper edge 128 of the rear portion of each torso portion can extend from the upper point proximate the wearer's shoulder to a second lower point disposed below the upper point and proximate seam 116. The line defined by the upper edge of the rear portions may be of any desired shape, for example, square, crew, boatneck, v-neck, scoop or flat.

To facilitate maintaining sleeved garment 100 in a desired position and to reduce the likelihood of the garment slipping off the shoulders, fasteners 130 may be provided at the upper point of edge 128 proximate the shoulder. Fasteners 130 may be used to attach sleeved garment 100 to the straps of the wearer's brassiere. Fasteners 130 may be snap tabs, hook-and-loop fasteners, releasable loops having a free end portion that may be looped around the brassiere strap and then affixed to itself, or any other fastener known in the art.

It should be appreciated that, as the first sleeve portion and the first torso portion, as well as the second sleeve portion and the second torso portion, are each formed from an integral piece of material, the sleeve construction is not that of a “set-in” sleeve, which would result in visible seams around the circumference of the sleeve where the sleeve meets the shoulder. Rather, as shown in FIG. 1 c, a single seam 106 extends from the edge of the sleeve portion, along the bottom of the sleeve portion towards the armpit, and from the armpit along the side of the torso portion towards the lower edge of the torso portion. Thus, when the sleeved garment is worn, seam 106 is not visible to an observer when the wearer's arms are in a relaxed position. Moreover, sleeved garment 100 is adapted to fit snugly around the wearer's arms such that it has a fitted and narrow appearance. Thus, the fitted and snug configuration of the sleeved garment allows it to be comfortably and unobtrusively worn under other garments, while the lack of visible seams and the plunging front and rear necklines facilitate a fashionable look that may be combined with any desired garment such that the sleeved garment may be regarded as part of the design of the other desired garment.

The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

1. A sleeved garment for women, adapted to be worn over a brassiere and to be partially covered by an outer garment, comprising: a first sleeve portion integrally formed with a first torso portion; and a second sleeve portion integrally formed with a second torso portion opposing the first torso portion; each of the torso portions having a front portion and a rear portion; each of the front portions having an upper edge defining a plunging neckline from the wearer's shoulder to substantially below and between the wearer's breasts, and a lower edge disposed horizontally below the wearer's breasts; and each of the back portions having an upper edge extending from the wearer's shoulder to a lower point on the wearer's back and a lower edge disposed horizontally and at the same level as the lower edge of the front portions.
 2. The sleeved garment of claim 1, wherein no seams are visible between each of the sleeve portions and the corresponding torso portions.
 3. The sleeved garment of claim 1, further comprising an elastic band disposed at the lower edges of each of the torso portions such that the elastic band encircles the torso of the wearer.
 4. The sleeved garment of claim 3, further comprising a fastener disposed on the elastic band.
 5. The sleeved garment of claim 1, wherein the sleeved garment is constructed of a four-way stretch material.
 6. The sleeved garment of claim 1, further comprising a fastener disposed proximate the shoulder of the wearer and along the upper edge of each of the torso portions.
 7. A sleeved garment for women, adapted to be worn over a brassiere and to be partially covered by an outer garment, comprising: a first sleeve portion for receiving a first arm of a wearer such that the sleeve portion covers the wearer's first shoulder and first armpit and extends to a point on the first arm; a second sleeve portion for receiving a second arm of the wearer such that the sleeve portion covers the wearer's second shoulder and second armpit and extends from the wearer's second shoulder to a point on the second arm; and at least one torso portion for receiving the wearer's upper body, disposed between the first sleeve portion and the second sleeve portion and having a lower edge disposed below and proximate the wearer's breasts; wherein the first sleeve portion includes a seam extending from an edge of the first sleeve portion, along the inside of the first arm of the wearer, to the first armpit of the wearer, and along the side of the wearer to the lower edge of the torso portion; and the second sleeve portion includes a seam extending from an edge of the second sleeve portion, along the inside of the second arm of the wearer, to the second armpit of the wearer, and along the side of the wearer to the lower edge of the torso portion.
 8. The sleeved garment of claim 7, further comprising an elastic band disposed at the lower edges of the at least one torso portion such that the elastic band encircles the torso of the wearer.
 9. The sleeved garment of claim 8, further comprising a fastener disposed on the elastic band.
 10. The sleeved garment of claim 7, wherein the sleeved garment is constructed of a four-way stretch material.
 11. The sleeved garment of claim 7, further comprising a fastener disposed proximate the shoulder of the wearer and along the upper edge of the at least one torso portion.
 12. The sleeved garment of claim 7, wherein each of the sleeve portions is integrally formed with the at least one torso portion. 